VivaLasViejas ASN, RN

LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych

Once a nurse, always a nurse!

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide

All Content by VivaLasViejas

  1. VivaLasViejas

    Seeking advice for an NCLEX applicant newly diagnosed with retinal detachment

    VivaLasViejas replied to Mishey2's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I am and have always been legally blind in one eye. It didn't get in my way at all. I wish your friend the best of
  2. VivaLasViejas

    Need opinions

    VivaLasViejas replied to imaginethat8673's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Unlawful imprisonment comes to mind here, which is a serious charge. I hope your facility has a good
  3. VivaLasViejas

    Mental illness nurse

    VivaLasViejas replied to Nurseyfabulous1's topic in Health, Stress Management

    Hi there, I'm Viva and I have bipolar I disorder. I had a good career as a nurse up until the last few years, when my illness got completely out of control and I ended up on Social Security...
  4. VivaLasViejas

    Dropping the "Nurse Card"?

    VivaLasViejas replied to RNJay_'s topic in General Nursing

    Yeah, me too. I don't like paying fines...you might as well flush money right down the toilet. I have to admit though, I was pulled over several times when I worked as a nurse and never got a ticket....
  5. VivaLasViejas

    flirting at the workplace

    VivaLasViejas replied to learning247's topic in Patient, Colleague Relations

    I agree---just ignore it. You're not going to change anything by calling attention to it, and it will probably backfire on you if you do. Just do your job and leave it at the door when you go
  6. VivaLasViejas

    Does anyone still wear white shoes?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Alex_RN's topic in Scrubs, Uniforms, Gear

    I wore white shoes for years out of habit. I switched to different colors when I saw that almost everybody at work was wearing running shoes in every color BUT
  7. VivaLasViejas

    How long does a pair of running shoes last?

    VivaLasViejas replied to AmberK1026's topic in Scrubs, Uniforms, Gear

    Being well over 300 pounds during most of my career, I was very hard on shoes and had to replace them every 3-4 months. I wore New Balance athletic shoes, which are moderately priced so it wasn't too...
  8. VivaLasViejas

    Monocular vision in the nursing field

    VivaLasViejas replied to Trekkie99's topic in Nurse Disabilities

    I am legally blind in my left eye (20/200), and I never had a problem in nursing school or working as a nurse. I didn't even need glasses until I was in my 40s; my right eye compensated for the poor...
  9. VivaLasViejas

    I hate wound care terminology

    VivaLasViejas replied to Emergent's topic in General Nursing

    I didn't realize how out of date I was in the world of wound care until I fell at Disney World and tore up my right shin. I mean, I really did a job on it---it was deep and I even nicked an artery,...
  10. VivaLasViejas

    Rn ratio rehab/nursing home

    VivaLasViejas replied to Mqnurse43's topic in General Nursing

    1:40 in LTC is not unusual, unfortunately. But in rehab, the ratios should be closer to 1:10-15. Some rehab patients are really unstable or need a lot of care (fresh CABGs, new strokes, IV antibiotics...
  11. VivaLasViejas

    G-tube/J-tube syringe

    VivaLasViejas replied to BellaMuniz's topic in General Nursing

    When I worked LTC we only changed them out every 24 hours on the 11-7 shift so we kept several days' worth in the resident's room. Management didn't like it because they actually wanted us to have to...
  12. VivaLasViejas

    AN Scholarship

    VivaLasViejas replied to NICU Guy's topic in General Nursing

    I'd charge $5 for any post asking which nursing school they should go to. How the heck are we supposed to know? The same for posts that confuse the words "loose" for "lose", "to" for "too", "their"...
  13. VivaLasViejas

    Patient waking up during CPR

    VivaLasViejas replied to LisaStone's topic in General Nursing

    I let the mods know about the duplicate posts. They'll take care of it for you. I once took care of a young (mid-40s) patient who had coded in the ER. He remembered a lot of it---how it felt when they...
  14. VivaLasViejas

    Best shoes for work?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Alohalani_RN's topic in Scrubs, Uniforms, Gear

    I loved (and still wear) New Balance running shoes. Almost every pair I've ever tried on fits like they were made for me. They are priced in the mid-range ($60-$100) and come in lots of styles and...
  15. VivaLasViejas

    Should I feel bad for not picking up shifts?

    VivaLasViejas replied to cheesypuff's topic in General Nursing

    No, you should NOT feel guilty, not even for a minute. Refusing to answer the phone or saying "No" when they call you to take a shift at location B won't make you any friends in management to be sure,...
  16. VivaLasViejas

    Did you take a risk?

    VivaLasViejas replied to CardiacDork's topic in General Nursing

    The best move I ever made in my career was from hospital nursing to assisted living. I actually had a nervous breakdown just before I clocked in one morning, and I knew that I could not go out on that...
  17. VivaLasViejas

    Any Mormon/LDS nurses here? I need help?

    VivaLasViejas replied to MaryFutureRN's topic in General Nursing

    I don't see where the OP was trying to get out of working Sundays. We've all seen those threads posted by members who are actually aghast at the idea of working weekends and holidays, and this one...
  18. VivaLasViejas

    "Dancing Doc" Video....Just When You Think You've Seen It All...

    VivaLasViejas replied to Sarah Matacale's topic in General Nursing

    Smh. This is just
  19. VivaLasViejas

    So you're an RN - you must be earning big!

    VivaLasViejas replied to _littlemissBSN's topic in General Nursing

    I was earning enough toward the end of my career that I was able to tell my husband to go ahead and retire. I figured he'd cleaned all the toilets and repaired all the woodwork he should ever have to....
  20. VivaLasViejas

    Does anyone ever get tired of people thinking Nursing is easy?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Nsco2018's topic in General Nursing

    I've got to admit it, I've never run across this sort of thing in all my years as a nurse. I do remember one time when I was working Med/Surg and a little girl came up to me in the hallway and pointed...
  21. VivaLasViejas

    Is 8 months experience good enough to get hired when they ask for a minimum of one year?

    VivaLasViejas replied to NightNurse714's topic in Psychiatric

    I've gotten jobs that required x amount of experience that I didn't have. It's worth a shot...the worst thing they can do is say
  22. VivaLasViejas

    I'm a CNA with awful back pain. Should I continue my degree?

    VivaLasViejas replied to hats189's topic in General Students

    I'm thinking that by your use of the terms "surgeries" and "practicals" that you are not in the US. I don't know if you have worker's compensation where you live, but you do need to report your injury...
  23. VivaLasViejas

    Am I the only one who thinks this is wildly inappropriate?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Rainbow_RN's topic in Nurses Recovery

    From a patient's perspective: I was hospitalized once for suicidal ideation/intent, and of all the nurses who cared for me I remember one in particular. She was the one who sat down with me 1:1 and...
  24. VivaLasViejas

    Sitting a patient on the floor

    VivaLasViejas replied to Nursemommyme's topic in Patient Safety Issues

    A fall is any unanticipated change in planes, ergo, assisting a patient/resident to the floor is still considered a fall and you have to put them on alert charting with vital signs and charting done...
  25. VivaLasViejas

    How many med errors to lose your license?

    VivaLasViejas replied to Bakingismylife's topic in General Nursing

    That was my question too. I can count on my fingers the number of med errors I committed in 17 years, and not one of them was serious---I've omitted things like vitamins and stool softeners, and once...